Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Boy 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The Boy is an entertaining horror-thriller with plenty of suspenseful thrills for genre audiences to enjoy. Produced by Lakeshore Entertainment, Huayi Brothers Pictures, Vertigo Entertainment, and STXfilms, The Boy features performances by James Russell, Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, Jim Norton, and Diana Hardcastle. Produced by Matt Berenson (Brahms: The Boy II, The Brothers Solomon), Gary Lucchesi (Underworld: Evolution, Primal Fear), Tom Rosenberg (Underworld: Blood Wars, The Exorcism of Emily Rose), Jim Wedaa (Unstoppable, Mission to Mars), and Roy Lee (Strange Darling, Woman of the Hour), The Boy premiered on January 20^th, 2016 in LA, CA. Released January 22^nd, 2016 nationwide, The Boy was produced on a modest budget of 10 million, The Boy earned a respectable 64.2 million at the box office.

Greta Evans (Lauren Cohan) finds herself on a new job and a new journey – one unlike anything that she has experienced before. Greta is now working as a nanny. Taking on the nanny role in a quiet English locale, her role is stranger than she expected when she discovers her new role is to look over a doll. Rather than a normal living 8-year-old boy,

Greta looks after a life-size boy doll named Brahms. The original boy died in a tragedy two decades prior. As the nanny experience carries on, Greta finds the mysterious Brahms doll causing more havoc than expected. Eerie and unsetting experiences cause the dangers to increase for Greta. As one creepy event happens after another, Greta starts to wonder if the doll could hold more life than expected. Can Greta survive the eerie doll, Brahms?

The ensemble cast also includes Malcolm (Rupert Evans), Brahms Heelshire (James Russell), Mr. Heelshire (Jim Norton), Mrs. Heelshire (Diana Hardcastle), Cole (Ben Robson), Brahms (Child) (Jett Klyne), Emily Cribbs (Lily Pater), Taxi Driver (Matthew Walker), and Sandy (Stephanie Lemelin). The leading performance by Lauren Cohan is excellent and adds a lot to the filmmaking. Most of the film is carried on the shoulders of Cohan. The supporting actors add nice work to the film but Cohan is front and center as the lead protagonist.  Cohan must act against the eerie doll Brahms and bring terror to confronting the inanimate object. The performance is a nice showcase for her acting.

The cinematography by Daniel Pearl (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Invaders from Mars) is a highlight of the production. The cinematography is sleek and well-done throughout the feature-film. Pearl adds great visual sensibilities and style to the film. The effort is outstanding and helps the film look its best. Terrific visuals.

The production of The Boy is well done. The production designs by John Willett (The Firm, Mississippi Burning) helps the eerie style of the filmmaking look its best. The aesthetic is wonderful and adds an abundance of charm. The aesthetic is also enhanced by the art direction by James Steuart (The Mountain Between Us, Watchmen).

The costume designs by Jori Woodman (Lake Placid, Child's Play) are effective and aid the genre elements. The costumes for lead actress Lauren Cohan are well-done and showcase her sublime sensuality and sex appeal. The costumes for the supporting cast members are excellent, too. Even design elements for the doll are integral to the film and add to the eerie quality of the genre filmmaking.

The score composed by Bear McCreary (The 4:30 Movie, Freaky) is one of the greatest highlights of The Boy. McCreary is a top-notch film composer – one of my personal favorites – with good experience with compositions for both television and cinema. McCreary made one of the most iconic television scores ever produced with Battlestar Galactica (one of the landmark cult science-fiction series). The Boy has excellent genre music and it is a perfect showcase for the fun intricacies of McCreary. The score adds energy, thrills, and vibrancy.

Edited by Brian Berdan (Grosse Pointe Blank, The Mothman Prophecies), The Boy is a well-paced horror film. Berdan is a talent and the filmmaking is on-point with good editorial oversight. The Boy has some good slow build qualities. The sense of build-up and tension is well done throughout the feature film.

Written by Stacey Menear (Brahms: The Boy II, Mixtape), The Boy is a somewhat straightforward horror-thriller. Menear creates a script that is somewhat simple but highly enjoyable. The script mostly focuses on tension and slow-burn. The script isn’t as focused on dialogue or heavy exposition or backstory. The script still has some nice surprises in store – especially the climatic act. A well-done screenplay by Menear.

Directed by William Brent Bell (Orphan: First Kill, Brahms: The Boy II), The Boy is a terrific thrill ride and one that horror fans will greatly appreciate. Bell is a talent and The Boy is well worthwhile. The sense of dread that is created in fantastic. The Boy is more engaging and thrilling than an ordinary horror-thriller and it is a good visual showcase for the filmmaker. The Boy builds on its tension and the finale is quite thrilling. A good macabre horror film.

The Boy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on 4K UHD, The Boy is presented in 2160p HEVC / H.265 in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1 widescreen. The release includes a new 4K presentation and restoration from the original elements. The original master elements were produced with ARRIRAW 2.8K source resolution.

An outstanding presentation with Arri Alexa XT Plus cameras and Vantage One Lenses used for the production. The original elements may be in 2.8K resolution source. The original DI was 2K but returning to the original master files should result in a slightly higher resolution than standard 2K (with the 2.8K master source). The 2.8K source was then upscaled to 4K resolution.

The HDR grade is excellent and showcases both HDR10 and Dolby Vision options. HDR10 is the standard (default) while Dolby Vision adds some extra metadata for displays equipped for Dolby Vision output. The HDR grading is exceptional and does a superb job showcasing the visual differences between the brightest whites and deepest blacks in the cinematography. The end result is a crisp looking presentation with plenty of depth and visual finesse.

The Boy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a Dolby Atmos audio soundtrack. The release also provides an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 audio track. The lossless presentation is incredible. The Atmos audio track is one that was enormously immersive and also satisfying. The Atmos mixing provided plenty of ambiance and immersion for audiences. There is wonderful cohesion to the soundstage. The score sounds terrific and well balanced on the release. Shout Factory did a great job by providing both Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio options.

The Boy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes an outstanding o-card slipcover. The slipcover quality is excellent and uses high quality card stock. The slipcover is provided for this Shout Factory Collector's Edition.

On disc supplements include:

Audio Commentary with Film Critics Julia Cunningham and Emily Higgins

Brahms Concerto – Interview with Director William Brent Bell (HD, 18:10)

The Telltale Son – Interview with Writer Stacey Menear (HD, 8:03)

The Doll Is Family – Interview with Cinematographer Daniel Pearl (HD, 7:44)

Death Stitch – Interview with Doll Designer Todd Masters (HD, 8:40)

The Castle and the Attic – Interview with Doll Handler Tannis Hegan (HD, 4:57)

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:31)

The Boy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Boy is a terrific horror-thriller. There are plenty of fun thrills and creepy-crawly vibes for genre fans. The Boy features a wonderful lead performance by Lauren Cohan. The style of filmmaking is creative, energetic, and fun.

The 4K UHD release features a superb new restoration from the original film elements. Outstanding. The 4K UHD is well worthwhile with a great presentation, lossless audio, and a nice assortment of supplements. The first print run of the release also includes a nice o-card slipcover. Highly recommended.